Saturday, June 8, 2013

Using Preservatives


An excellent article about preservatives: http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/library/preservatives.asp

From this I am gleaning that there are basically two categories of preservatives. 

Anti-oxidants and Anti-microbials. 

Anti-oxidants consist of Vitamin E and Rosemary Oil Extract. The Rosemary has it's own smell which will influence the final scent of the product, whereas Vitamin E will not. Use Vitamin E

Anti-microbials include grape fruit seed extract and Germabens. Germabens are basically Propylene Glyco (PG) Use PG

Article about PG:
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/11/much-maligned-ingredients-propylene.html

PG can be used in lotions, shampoo, deodorants, conditioners etc.

Various Issues

How to get rid of carpenter bees:

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/how-to-get-rid-of-carpenter-bees-a-219.html

http://www.amazon.com/Durvet-Inc-Permethrin-10-32oz/dp/B00061MSS0

Good place to buy glass bottles etc:


Ecig stuff:


Phiniac glass tanks: http://phiniac.com/index.php
Carto deals: 


Hoosier Vape Club links:

Website: http://hoosiervapers.com/


Confirmed the earlier post that acetaldehyde in e-cigs occurs at a rate of 1% of regular cigarettes. (From international programme on chemical safety, Environmental Health Criteria 167, Acetaldehyde) Acetaldehyde (EHC 167, 1995)


Soaping sites:



Friday, June 7, 2013

Emulsifiers

                                                      Lecithin

  • This fatty phospholipid mixture is a perennial favorite for those making natural skin care due to its versatility and ease of use. Lecithin is found in a wide variety of plants and animals, including soybeans, rapeseed, corn and egg whites. Lecithin typically combines best with the oil in an emulsion, but is highly effective in both water- and oil-based emulsions. Lecithin has natural humectant properties, drawing moisture from the air and depositing it on the skin, as well as the ability to help ingredients penetrate better. This makes it an ideal emulsifier for anti-aging products for drier, more mature skin.  Add 1 tablespoon of liquid lecithin per cup of lotion base.

                                          How to dissolve lecithin granules in water

     Let the granules soak in the water phase of your recipe for an hour.
    (By water phase I mean the watery part of your recipe, it can be water, it can be flower water, it can be herbal infusion…)
    1) Put granules in the water phase of the recipe and let 1 hour to dissolve. (here 20g granules and 40g of distilled water).
    2) After 1 hour the granules are dissolved

    3) When you mix it after, it looks like this (without oils) – please, not, that you do not have to mix it prior to adding oils, if you are making a cream or a lotion.


Recipe with lecithin and beeswax:
Recipe
Water phase
Rose water45ml
Oil phase
Cocoa butter8g
Marigold infused oil30ml
Emulsifiers
soy lecithin granules2g
or
liquid lecithin2ml
beeswax5g

Instructions
1) If you have lecithin granules, dissolve them in rose water – it will take an hour until they get wet through, then just mix them to dissolve completely. If you have liquid lecithin just mix it with rose water directly.
2) In water bath melt cocoa butter and beeswax with marigold oil. Beeswax needs around 64°C  (147°F) to dissolve, pay attention to not overheat (e.g. >80°C, this may happen easily if you don’t use water bath). If you overheat cocoa butter, it will get grainy.
3) At the same time, heat your water phase (lecithin and rose water) to 70°C.
4) If necessary, transfer the oil phase into your stand mixer, if not, just use blender – you’ll probably need a very strong mixing in order to be successful making cream from beeswax and lecithin only! First start mixing the oils and than slowly pour the water phase in. Both phases should be around 50-60°C at this point. Blend until you reach an emulsion (cream consistency). I tried also hand mixing from the beginning, but it is not worthy the effort and the result is uncertain.
5) ATTENTION - It may happen that the water phase starts separating from the oil phase when you stop stirring before your cream cools completely down. Therefore, once your reach the emulsion, you can put the pot in cold water in order to accelerate the cool-down phase, but continue stirring. Do not forget to stir well until the cream is a room temperature, hand stirring is usually sufficient in this phase.
6) When finished, stir in your preservative (if any) and fragrance or essential oils of your choice.
7) Transfer you cream into cream pots.

                                                       


                                                                      Beeswax

  • This wax, made by honeybees and the foundation for honeycombs, has been used in skin care products for centuries. It has softening and healing properties of its own, but works well as a thickener and emulsifier. Beeswax works best when used in thinner, lighter oil in water emulsions, though it can make a base for creams when used alongside other emulsifiers. Beeswax is perfect for formulas designed to absorb quickly.

    • Emulsifiers 5-8%
    • Oils 12-20%
    • Water, Additives, and Botanicals to 100 %.

You can also create an emulsion with the help of natural ingredients.  However, unlike Emulsifying Wax, natural emulsifiers must be used in conjunction with each other in order to work.  The best combination to start with is Beeswax,Liquid Lecithin, and Borax.  Together, these ingredients can help to create a stable emulsion of fats and waters.The emulsifier part can be 100% Emulsifying Wax, or a combination of 80%Beeswax, 10% Borax, and 10% Liquid Lecithin.  Try experimenting with the amount of water, oil, or emulsifier you have to create unique textures.  You can also try switching Beeswax for other waxes, such as CandelillaCarnauba,Bayberry, or Floral Wax.  



More recipes:



http://myhomemadebeauty.com/2010/09/01/lecithin-benefits-for-skin/


http://suite101.com/article/make-your-own-hand-lotion-with-glycerin-and-beeswax-a349617


Some excellent information about various emulsifiers here:


http://allnaturalbeauty.us/emulsions.htm


                                                         Emulsifying Wax:

The ingredients for Emulsifying Wax NF are: Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, PEG-150 Stearate, and Steareth-20. It has the characteristics of cetyl alcohol combined with the viscosity building effect of stearyl alcohol as an effective thickener and helps form stable emulsions.
I don't think I want to use Emulsifying Wax, because the polysorbate is already mixed with alcohol.


Instead of using stearic acid, I could use cornstarch. Stearic acid just acts as a thickener.

Cetly Alcohol:  is not really an "alcohol" such as ethyl or rubbing alcohol, which would dry the skin, but is a stabilizer, thickener; made by combining fatty alcohols derived from vegetable sources. Cetyl alcohol may be naturally derived from coconut fatty alcohol or made artificially. It is used in many cosmetics as an emollient, thickening agent, moisturizer, stabilizer, opacifier as well as a carrying agent for other ingredients. This is not an emulsifyer, but a thickener and stabiliser. On it's own it will not bind oils and water at all. 





                                                                                                    Polysorbates:

 These are emulsifiersBy adding polysorbate 20 or polysorbate 80 (the most common ones we find at our suppliers), we can include something like a fragrance or essential oil (polysorbate 20) or a carrier oil (polysorbate 80) into our surfactant or water based products. Polysorbates will emulsify sebum, so they are also considered to be very very mild non-foaming, non-lathering non-ionic cleansers, which you can include in oil based cleansers, and they will increase the mildness and reduce irritation in surfactant products. They will suppress the foam slightly, so they're not suitable for low foamy surfactant products, but we can use them to suppress foam in things like facial cleansers, where suds and lather aren't welcome!  Polysorbate 80 is soluble in water, partially soluble in fractionated coconut oil and soy bean oil, and insoluble in glycerin. Polysorbate 20 is soluble in water and glycerin, partially soluble in fractionated coconut oil, IPM, and mineral oil. Polysorbates are readily biodegradable and polysorbate 60 and 80 are acceptable food additives To sum it up, we generally use polysorbate 20 for essential and fragrance oils - I use it in a pinch with some of the lighter oils like fractionated coconut oil or IPM when I'm out of polysorbate 80 - and we generally use polysorbate 80 for carrier oils. You can use polysorbate 80 for essential and fragrance oils, but you can't use polysorbate 20 for carrier oils. 

There are all kinds of health alerts about polysorbates, but I think most of them concern it being mixed with alcohol and the by product there of.

BTMS: I don't think I want to use these. Reading indicates that it's hazardous to inhale and while it is said to be a great conditioner, I've read some warnings about it having adverse reactions when applied to skin.

In emulsions, we use a molecule that has a part that like water, and a part that doesn't, all in the same molecule.
Soaps and detergents. A soap is basically a fat attached to a water loving element, like sodium or potassium. 
Phospholipids have a water loving and a water hating side. A common phopholipid is lecithin.

**A stabilizer for emulsion is vegetable gum. These form with the water. They have the effect of keeping the oil from recombining, simply by getting in the way; forming semi-rigid walls between droplets. Another stabilizer is Xanthan gum.  Adding 1/8 tsp of Xanthan gum to any oil and water emulsion will remove most of the barriers to success. Stearic acid or cornstarch are stabilizers also. Stabilizers also make great thickeners. Stearic acid is found naturally in some butters like cocoa and shea.

Fats are triglycerides. Glycerin is the back bone. If we remove the fatty acids, we are left with glycerin, which will attach to water. Glycerin has a water loving end and a fat loving end. It will emulsify!

Polysorbates are commonly used as emulsifying agents. It's a fatty acid attached to a water loving molecule. Polysorbate 80 would be a good choice.

Various alcohols like stearyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol are found in e-wax. I want to try to stay away from e-wax.

Proteins dissolve better in water than oil. This is better for oil in water emulsions like lotion, where you have more water than oil in the mixtures. To make a stiffer consistency like creams, which have less water and more oil (water in oil mixtures) I want something that dissolves in oils.

This information was found here: http://kitchenscience.sci-toys.com/Emulsions


Cetyl alcohol - Stabilizer - This short chain, saturated, fatty alcohol imparts an emollient feel to our lotions and creams and works with our cationic quaternary compounds to super-charge our conditioners. 

Compare the cetyl alcohol molecule to the stearic acid molecule. It has 16 carbons (stearic has 18) and it has an OH (oxygen-hydrogen or hydroxy group) whereas stearic has a carboxyl group at the head (OOH). Cetyl alcohol is a short chain fatty alcohol; stearic acid is a long chain fatty acid. So what does this all mean to us?

Cetyl alcohol can be used like stearic acid to thicken our lotions for a creamier feel. You can use it up to 5% in lotions and creams, but I like to use it up to 3% because I don't want things too thick! You can use it as the emollient - oil or butter - in a lotion for "oil free" moisturizing.
Because it is saturated, it is considered resistant to rancidity, so the shelf life is considered to be very long. (A lot of manufacturers say it is resistant to rancidity forever - nothing lasts forever, but it is a very long time!) And it has a melting point of 49˚C. 

It is more emollient than stearic acid, and works in conjunction with a cationic quaternary compound like BTMS to increase the conditioning agent's substantivity (it clings more to your hair). Where stearic can feel waxy and draggy, cetyl feels glidier and greasier (in a good way).
Stearic acid and cetyl alcohol can be used interchangeably, for the most part. I liken a cream with cetyl alcohol to Cool Whip - it's glidier and silkier - whereas I think of a cream with stearic acid as whipped butter - still glidy, but definitely not silky and a lot heavier.


                            My conclusions:


I want to try using Lecithin, beeswax, borax, stearic acid (cornstarch), glycerin, Xanthan gum,  and polysorbates.


Apparently, You can create an emulsion by using just Lecithin, and you can create an emulsion by just using Polysorbates without beeswax. 

Stay away from Emulsifying Wax, & BTMS.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Lotions

Lotion percentage calculators:

http://lotionsecrets.com/lotionrecipes.html

For actual LOTIONS, I want these percentages:  Emulsifiers 5-8%  Oils 12-20%  Water, Additives, and Botanicals to 100 %.

http://www.diycosmetics.com/pages/How-to-Make-Creams-and-Lotions.html


This will make lotion BARS:  A good base to start with is 1/3 soft oils, 1/3 hard oils, 1/3 beeswax. I can up the hard and soft oils a little bit and lower the beeswax, but not too much!

Looks like a good combination would be Mango (hard)  Coconut Oil (hard) Castor Oil (soft) Sunflower or Safflower (soft) and beeswax.

Mango has good quantities of Oleic, Stearic,  Palmitic  & Linoleic. 
Coconut Oil has good quantities of Lauric,  Myristic, Palmitic,  Capric,  Oleic, 
Sunflower and Safflower have high linoleic content. 
Castor Oil has high Ricinoleic content.

Adding a little bit of cornstarch will add silkiness and thicken. Can be added to oils or water.
Can use Aloe Vera Juice instead of distilled water, if desired.
Use 1 Tbs of wax/ounce of oil.
Can use rose petals, citrus teas etc to add color and fragrance.
Add Vitamin E.

 I think I'll just use the 1/3 soft oils, 1/3 hard oils, and 1/3 beeswax. Add about 5 Vitamin E capsules maybe some cornstarch and some EO and be done with it.
Most, if not all, of the recipes I've found using these, use volume measurements not weight measurements.

First recipe:

1/4 cup Beeswax
1/4 cup Mango Butter
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Castor Oil
1/4 cup Sunflower Oil
5 Vitamin E capsules
10 drops Essential Oil - Peppermint with orange or lemon? Geranium? Will have to do smell test!

*Don't know if I need cornstarch in this or not. It might be thick without it. If it's too thick, I can add glycerin to thin it out some.

"You can use equal parts of beeswax, butter and a soft oil to create a lotion bar or massage bar as some people call them. That's just a starting point. I made some and didn't like how hard they were so the next time I decreased the beeswax percentage and increased the other two ingredients proportionally."

Rethinking the 1/3 -1/3-1/3 recipe. Think I'll probably end up with a lotion bar instead of lotion.

Think I better up the soft oils some.


Second recipe:

.5 oz Mango Butter (Oleic 34-56%, Stearic 26-57%, Palmitic 3-18%, Linoleic 1-13%)
.5 oz Cocoa Butter (Stearic 31-38%, Oleic 32-36%, Palmitic 25-30%Linoleic 3%)
.5 oz Coconut Oil (Lauric 39-54%Myristic 15-23%Palmitic 6-11%, Capric 6%
                                            Oleic 4-11%, Stearic 1-4%, Linoleic 1-2%)
.5 oz Castor Oil  (Ricinoleic 90%)
1.5 oz Sweet Almond Oil (Oleic 64-82%Linoleic 8-28%, Palmitic 6-8%, Stearic 2%)
1 oz Grapeseed Oil  (Linoleic 58-78%Oleic 12-28%, Palmitic 5-11%, Stearic 3-6%)
.5 oz Flaxseed Oil  (**Alpha Linolenic 53%**)
**5 ounces total oil**

5 Vitamin E capsules 

7.5 grams VG - goes in water phase (for preservative & emulsification)
1 oz lecithin - goes in oil phase (for emulsification) (3%)
1 oz Polysorbate 80 goes in water phase (used as emulsifier)

1 oz cetly alcohol - goes in oil phase (stabilization) to help with greasy feeling
.13 oz or 4 grams Xanthan gum - goes in COLD water phase (to aide stabilization)

Essential Oil: 7 drops Orange (high in Vitamin C) 3 drops Lemongrass
                                   3 drops Sandalwood I had to add alot more orange and lemongrass to this. Don't know how much, just go by smell.

12 oz PG (used in replacement of 1/2 water total, preservative) If I add 12 oz of distilled water to this, that should make the oils part 18% and waters part 70%


Recipe makes around 36 ounces of lotion total.

6-18-13 This turned out pretty good. It was kinda messy to make, but it worked! It's more a consistency of cream than lotion, but it seems to absorb very well. It probably turned more into a cream because I used PG as half of my water amount. Filled 3 jars.



Because of the relatively high PG content, I can store this lotion
in the freezer and it will not freeze! YAY!




Absorption Ratings of Carrier Oils

These common carrier oils are used in cosmetics, bath and body products. It is important to know how these ingredients rate for absorption, especially if you are planning to include them in homemade products. If you are not a wildcrafter, it is still a good way to educate yourself about the ingredients found in the products you use. These oils are rated using the following scale.

1 - Very Fast Absorption Rate
Considered a "drying oil" - quickly absorbed by the skin and does not leave an oily feel.

2 - Fast Absorption Rate
Feels light and absorbs into the skin readily. Leaves a silky, smooth finish.

3 - Average Absorption Rate
Leaves a satiny finish on the skin.

4 - Slow Absorption Rate
May feel sticky or waxy before warming at body temperature. Leaves a slight oily residue on the skin.

5 - Very Slow Absorption Rate
May need to be heated for application. Feels heavy and leaves an oily, protective barrier on the skin.


____________________________

CP= Cold Pressed
SE= Solvent Extraction
CO2= CO2 Extraction
____________________________

  • Almond (Sweet Virgin, CP) - 2
  • Apricot Kernel (CP)- 2
  • Avocado (Refined, CP) - 4
  • Borage (Unrefined, CP) - 5
  • Camellia Seed (CP) - 2
  • Carrot (Mascerated, CP) - 4
  • Coconut (Refined, CP) - 5
  • Cotton Seed (CP) - 4
  • Evening Primrose (CP) - 5
  • Flax Seed (CP) - 4
  • Grapeseed (SE) - 2
  • Hazelnut (CP) - 4
  • Hemp Seed (Unrefined, CP) - 3
  • Jojoba (CP) - 3
  • Kukuinut (CP) - 4
  • Macadamia (CP) - 5
  • Meadowfoam (SE) - 2
  • Neem (CP) - 5
  • Olive (Extra Virgin, CP) - 4
  • Palm (Refined, CP) - 5
  • Passionfruit (CP) - 2
  • Pomegranate (Refined, CP) - 4
  • Rose Hip (Extra Virigin, CP) - 1
  • Sea Buckthorn (CO2) - 4
  • Sunflower (CP) - 4
  • Tamanu (tahitian, CP) - 4




Absorption of various things:  Lecithin is very sticky on skin, Polysorbate 80 is a little better. VG is better than Polysorbate 80, and PG is the fastest absorbing of them all. (These are my observations)

Here's a good sample recipe as far as ratios go.

Body Moisturizer 
2 oz. Beeswax
2 oz. Distilled Water
4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
8 oz. Cocoa Butter
2 oz. Coconut Oil
 

Melt the Cocoa Butter and Water together then remove from heat and stir until blended. Add the Bees Wax to the Cocoa Butter and Water, return to heat until all ingredients are melted.
Pour moisturizer into containers.

Interesting excerpt from Soap Makers "

 but we are confusing "binding/hardening/thickening agent" with "emulsifier" - a common mistake. Here is the definition of emulsion: "emulsions are combination of oil and water held together by a bridge (an emulsifier) that has a water-loving and an oil-loving end." Beeswax is commonly referred to as an emulsifier, but it technically is not; it is only an "emulsifier" in the sense that it can bind oil and wax or butter (all hydrophobic substances). But beeswax on its own does not have the chemical composition to take a hydrophobic substance, such as oil, and make it hydrophilic (water loving). Beeswax "adds hardness and works with borax to emulsify ingredients." If a water/oil emulsion is created without the use of a chelating agent (ie borax), it is likely done through continual agitation of the water/oil combo, which redistributes the water molecules - but only temporarily. Without repeated agitation this emulsion will not remain stable. Parafin, soy, candelilla wax - all of these are simply wax compounds very similar to beeswax that lend thickness to a cream, but cannot bind water molecules on their own.

Which is why we add an alkali, such as borax (or ingredients such as lecithin though it is less stable). "The beeswax is emulsified by the borax to yield fatty acid borates (salts) and fatty alcohols. It’s kind of like making a soap out of borax. The borax actually makes the emulsifier." This is why we use borax in laundry - it emulsifies fats in water. Again, I don't want to argue, but I have also been doing this for more than ten years, and I don't want anyone to go through the same frustration I went through in the beginning - or waste as many materials! When I see a recipe that lists beeswax and water, but no ingredient to emulsify the beeswax, I just skip it. I know it does not have the chemical composition to be a stable emulsion with a lovely texture. 

That being said, jessicammorton I think your emulsifier ratios will work beautifully! E-wax is easier, but I love the feel, smell, benefits, and texture of beeswax in my products. Here are some on-line resources for more info on this topic:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5584681_make-be ... ifier.html


I am quite surprised some of you say that you cant combine oil and water with beeswax because this is all I use and it works very well!
just give it a try one day if you are doubtful, I usually do 60% oil / butter with 35% water or floral water and 5% beeswax. I really like those creams, some of them are light and do not leave a greasy feeling, it all depends what kind of oils you are using.


 I'm currently doing a 75- 76% water, 15-16% oil 5% e-wax 4-5% stearic, I work those numbers around to 100%, then preservative and fragrance on top of that.


(Note:  I’ve read that you can also use Acacia gum (the dried sap of the African Acacia tree) as an emulsifier, and that it works particularly well for lighter lotions.  I haven’t tried this yet, but if you wanted an all-natural, plant-based alternative to beeswax or emulsifying wax, using Acacia gum might be a good option.